the beginning of my story

I used to watch the Canadian show, Rental Income, on TV and wish Scott McGillivray would come to Calgary and teach me how to make some real estate cash. Then he did --kinda. A sales pitch sponsored by Scott lead me to the PMI program run by Dean and other big-name investors. I saw the presentation in Sept. of 2012 and that's when I knew I really could make real estate work. What I didn’t have a clue about was how I’d ever go from being in the scared and stressed, totally distressed-about-money state to being the confident, capable person to pull of deals.

A year later, I share my story because some people have a lot of personal junk to get through before they're ready to make their first deal, and I believe there's great value in being open about it.

For me, a life-long feeling of anguish over money persisted even after decades of pursuing personal growth with gusto. I had radically transformed my entire sense of self, my relationships, and my health, both physical and mental. But money could still trigger total panic.

The more determined I became to do real estate deals, the more I'd encounter new barriers within myself. There was always so much I felt I needed to know that I didn't. There were paralyzing fears and "what if...?!" stories in my head that were totally irrational in retrospect. There were obvious solutions that I just couldn't see (omg who hasn't been there?!). I learned not to judge myself for all those hang ups, which allowed me to take even greater accountability for the challenges I faced. It might feel more "comfortable" to blame my challenges on circumstance or other people, but that attitude would have kept me a victim. I chose to "love myself enough to take the blame"instead.

The more I took responsibility for my obstacles, the more solutions I found. I changed my way of thinking, and then went deeper and changed it more. I frequently tried to push myself into getting a deal done when I wasn't ready, only to experience frustration, dead ends, and defeat. I realize now that I was more motivated by desperation than genuine belief in my potential. The only way I could've got a deal done sooner is, ironically, if I hadn't tried to rush my growth process.

For all the ups and downs, this past year has been exhilarating. I still occasionally worry I’m procrastinating, but every time I stop to reflect on it, I find a loud and clear voice inside saying I’m perfectly on schedule, and I’m exactly where I need to be. I’ve reached whole new levels of being true to myself. I feel more in touch with my soul, and able to live from the heart.

Dean has given me something to aspire to. It’s not so much about doing deals anymore but about becoming the person I need to be in order to make them.

When I met Dean in person at the Buying Summit in Vegas last March, the first talk he gave went straight to my heart. I fell in love with his message, and his spirit. Since then, deangraziosi.com has kept me on track and inspired. Thank you Dean! I haven’t even done my first deal yet (I’m close!) and you’ve already changed my life, more than words can tell you. Much love and gratitude,
Tara.